O’Bannon watchers, you want proof of competitive balance? Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president for championships and alliances, son of Bill Lewis and – most significantly – former Georgia walk on, has your proof of competitive balance right here.
That’s the best evidence the NCAA has presented all trial.
Filed under Gators, Gators..., The NCAA
It’s Scarbinsky, I know, but, still, there’s a certain truth that resonates at the core of this:
Spurrier still clings to his fondness for the old days, as witnessed by his recent comment pointing out that Nick Saban has three national titles at Alabama but only two SEC championships. Only the Ball Coach could make that sound like a bad thing.
No doubt there are some sour grapes involved, too. For all of his Hall of Fame credentials, despite dominating the SEC in the 1990s, Spurrier has won only a single national championship, way back in the Stone Age in 1996.
Gene Chizik can match that, and Urban Meyer won twice as many at Florida between 2006 and 2008.
If you haven’t won at least one national title as an SEC head coach these days – hello, Mark Richt – what have you really accomplished?
I’m among those still in the Spurrier camp, but our numbers are likely to dwindle as the playoffs slowly suck the oxygen out of the room.
Filed under Media Punditry/Foibles, SEC Football
Yesterday’s star witness for the NCAA, Daniel Rubinfeld, a professor of law and economics at Berkeley, was reduced to splitting hairs over the definition of a cartel because – I shit you not – he’s the author of an economics textbook that’s been published for more than a quarter-century with a section entitled “The Cartelization of Intercollegiate Athletics” that contains the following passage:
“The cartel organization is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA),” Rubinfeld’s textbook said. “The NCAA restricts competition in a number of important ways. To reduce bargaining power by student-athletes, the NCAA creates and enforces rules regarding eligibility and terms of compensation.”
Rubinfeld said he will likely revise his textbook’s definition of NCAA cartel. Maybe defense counsel can postpone O’Bannon until the next edition is published.
Rubinfeld wasn’t the only one having issues with cartels. So were the lawyers who put him on the stand.
Said Curtner: “Mr. Hausfeld keeps bringing up restraint, restraint, restraint. We acknowledge there’s a restraint. That’s what creates the product as a differentiated product.” As recently as Wednesday, NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy described the NCAA not paying players as “alleged restraints.”
I continue to marvel over these folks thinking going to trial was their best strategy.
Filed under The NCAA
Noting that 12 first-year starting quarterbacks have played for the national title in the BCS era (including each of the past five seasons), Athlon suggests the possibility for Hutson Mason.
Filed under Georgia Football
I am having a very hard time deciding what part of the Steven Garcia being hired by Saturday Down South to do something (“I am definitely going to be doing it, but I am not exactly sure what I am going to be doing”) story is the most Garcia-ish.
I mean, there’s this…
Garcia, who is once again sporting hair to his shoulders, was interviewed and hired at a blackjack table at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Roberts said.
… and then there’s this:
“He said, ‘Do you want me to cut my hair?’ I said, ‘No, all of our fans call it the Stephen Garcia Mullet. You have to keep it,’” Roberts said.
What is it about South Carolina quarterbacks and mullets?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that alcohol was involved.
Filed under 'Cock Envy, The Blogosphere
Get The Picture 